Mothering
by Taliax
Summary: She's always been there for him, but maybe this once, he could be there for her. Aqua and Ventus friendship/family oneshot set during KH3. For Mother's Day 2018.


**A/N: I'm working on a lot of different projects right now, but I just got inspired to write this for Mother's Day today. Takes place during KH3, assuming Ven and Aqua are brought back sometime in the middle of the game.**

"...Aqua?"

She bolted upright at the soft voice. Despite having been in deep unconsciousness only moments before, twelve years in the Realm of Darkness had trained her to wake at the slightest hint of danger.

But there should be no danger here. She was in her bed in the Land of Departure, which she had restored to its original form from Castle Oblivion only days ago. Were there Heartless still about? Had one of the Organization members broken through her protective wards?

"Aqua…"

She sighed in relief. Ven. It was only Ven.

"Yes?" She asked, still trying to calm her racing heart. But then in the dim light, she saw the look on Ven's face. Wide eyes. Trembling lips. She leapt from the bed, Master Keeper flashing to her hand.

"What's wrong? Who's attacking?"

Ven flinched, shrinking back behind the post of her bed. "N-no one's attacking, Aqua. Sorry…"

No one was…? Then why was he…? Reluctantly, she dismissed her keyblade and approached him. He stayed motionless, his head hanging limply, his spikes of unruly hair even more disheveled than usual.

"It's alright," she said quietly. She hoped he hadn't scared him even more with her outburst. It was difficult to shake her instincts, even after having been home for two months now. And only a week since waking Ven. She still hadn't told him all that she'd been through while he was asleep.

"Is there something I can do for you?" She asked, smoothing out her nightgown. It had taken some time to finally wear pajamas again, to convince herself that she didn't need to be in battle-ready clothing at all times.

"I - no. Nevermind. I shouldn't have woken you up." He shook his head, still not meeting her eyes, and turned to go. She grabbed his arm, a little tighter than she meant to. She winced and released him.

"No, please. I'm sorry if I scared you. You know you can always come to me."

"Right." He finally smiled up at her, but it was weak. "It's really dumb, though. I just… I can't sleep."

"Oh." She exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. That was just like the old Ven - wandering around in the middle of the night, looking up at the stars or finding a snack, eventually coming to her or Terra to see if they were awake, staying up playing Command Board or reading a book together until he could finally wind down enough to sleep.

"Would you like me to make you something to eat?" She asked. Though she was out of practice from being in the Realm of Darkness, where hunger and time were as distant as the light, she was still the better cook of the two of them.

"No, that's not… I _can't_ sleep, Aqua." This time, he emphasized the word differently, clenching his fists. "It's stupid, but I feel like if I do…"

"Are you worried about nightmares?" She gently prodded, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head.

"...I'm worried I won't wake up," he finally whispered. His shoulder shook beneath her hand. Now more than ever, she realized just how small he was. How young.

"Oh, Ven," she whispered back, pulling him into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's dumb," he muttered. "You spent the last twelve years wandering around the Realm of Darkness, while I was taking a nap. You shouldn't have to-"

"Who told you that?" She interrupted, stiffening.

"...Told you what?" He asked nervously.

"That I was in the Realm of Darkness."

"Was it a secret? Lea mentioned it when he was trying to figure out if I was that Roxas guy. But I wasn't going to ask you about it, since you… you know..."

Her eyes narrowed, not that he could see. She'd been squeezing him way too close. She let him go, and he took a shaky breath.

"Since I what?" She asked. He shifted back and forth on his bare feet.

"...I know you're not okay, okay?" He finally said. "You jump at everything. You can't talk about what happened to Terra. Whatever happened to you, and to him… it must have been really bad."

Tears pricked her eyes. She took a deep breath and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I've been wanting to tell you. You deserve to know." She picked at a button on her nightgown. "But I just… I can't yet."

To her surprise, he nodded, then sat down next to her.

"I get it."

"You do?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. Where was the Ven who always wanted to know everything right now?

"Yeah. The last thing I remember… that's not something I know how to talk about yet, either." He shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. "Why did it all have to end up this way, Aqua?"

She almost laughed at the question. _Why?_ It was something she'd been asking herself for the last twelve years.

"I don't know, Ven. I don't know."

He leaned his head on her shoulder. "I always thought you knew everything."

She chuckled hollowly. "I think I knew the least out of all of us. If I had acted differently… if I hadn't pushed you and Terra away…"

"It's not your fault. We _all_ pushed each other away." He squeezed her hand. "I should've listened to you. Maybe then…"

Aqua sighed. "What's done is done. Wondering and wishing won't change anything."

"I guess you're right." He sighed too. She ran her fingers through his hair, unconsciously, the way she always used to. He was quiet for a long time, just sitting there and letting her hold him. At first she thought he might have fallen asleep after all.

"Hey… Aqua?" So he wasn't asleep, then.

"Yes, Ven?"

"I don't think I ever said… thank you. For waking me up. And for keeping me safe all that time."

Her fingers froze in his hair. "I didn't really do anything. It was Sora who was able to wake you up."

"But you put me here, where no one would find me. Where Xehanort couldn't get to me."

"And if I'd never made it back, you would've been stuck here forever," she voiced the fear that had haunted her all throughout the Realm of Darkness.

"But you _did_ come back, Aqua." He squeezed her hand again, sitting up straight to look her in the eyes. "Even if I wasn't awake… I always knew you'd be there to bring me back. You've always been here for me, even when I was stupid and wouldn't listen to you. I always took that for granted." He frowned a little, but she smiled.

"I know you would do the same for me, Ven," she said, but he shook his head.

"No - I mean, I would, but it's different for you. I never got to tell you, but I know now. I remembered things when me and Vanitas… you know.

"I know I didn't live here my whole life. Other memories started coming back too - memories of you taking care of me when I first got here. I - I never had a… a mom. But I had you."

Her breath caught at that. He just laughed quietly.

"That's dumb, isn't it? You're my friend, not my mom. But I think, if I did have a mom… I'd hope she was like you."

His voice broke at the end. Just like Aqua's heart. Tears leaked down her face, then into Ven's hair as she pulled him close again.

"That's not dumb at all," she murmured. How long had he felt that way? Just since remembering? Or forever? She never would have said it, but she had always pictured him like that, too. Maybe not as her son, exactly, but definitely a younger brother. Someone she watched over. Someone it was her responsibility to protect.

"In the Realm of Darkness… it was you who kept me going," she said suddenly, surprising herself. "There were so many times I nearly gave up. But I knew you were counting on me to wake you up."

She sniffled; he rubbed her back in calming motions, waiting on her to finish.

"...So you saved me, too." She smiled, tasting her tears on the corners of her lips. "Thank you, Ven."

"No problem. Did it in my sleep."

His joke made her laugh a little - a real laugh, not one tainted by her sorrow.

"We're back now," he said. "And we'll get Terra back, too. Everything's going to be okay."

Somehow, it was that reassurance that made her cry even more. Suddenly she was sobbing, clinging to him like a lifeline as he gently patted her back and whispered in her ear.

"It's going to be okay, Aqua. I promise."

She couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything but let twelve years of bottled up fear and hurt pour out all over her younger friend. And still he bore it, in spite of the fact that he'd gone to _her_ for help tonight.

"I'm-" she choked out, "sorry-"

"Shhhh," he said. "You're the mom all the time, but you don't have anyone to be a mom for you. So just let me try, okay?"

It was such a silly thought - him mothering her, rocking her like a child - that she laughed. And then cried some more. Back and forth, back and forth. It was a good thing Ven didn't want to sleep, because they must have been there, sitting like that, for nearly an hour.

But finally she was too weak and tired to cry anymore. She just leaned against him, shaking silently as he combed her hair with his fingers.

"...You feel any better?" He asked. She nodded slightly, which he probably felt more than saw, considering her chin was digging into his shoulder. He laughed breathlessly. "Oh, good. I mean, I've never done this before, so I'm glad I didn't make it worse."

"You didn't. I think… this is exactly what I needed." She took a deep breath, then let it go. "With… with Terra gone, and the Master… there just hasn't been anyone…"

"I know." He smiled sadly. And for the first time, in spite of his face that hadn't aged a day, his eyes looked older than she had ever seen them.

"Would you stay in here tonight?" She asked suddenly. She hadn't had sleepovers with the boys since they were kids, but after tonight, she didn't want to go back to being alone again.

"Sure. I'll just go grab some blankets." He grinned and ran out of the room, nearly colliding with the doorway on his way out. That got another true laugh out of her.

 _Some things don't change. No matter how long it's been._

That thought comforted her through the night, as did the sounds of Ven's steady breathing.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I probably won't have a ton of time to write for the next few weeks; I've got a ton of homework and studying to do for my Anatomy class I'm taking over the summer. (Send me prayers and good vibes because it's killing me xD) I'm still trying to poke at the CaS prizefic though and I have another project that I started in spite of my better judgement, so hopefully I'll be able to get back before too long!**


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